Those who live in the United States—including the LGBTIQ community—know very little about the contemporary LGBTIQ history of Canada that parallels our own. While American LGBTIQ folks know that Canada granted gays and lesbians marriage rights long before we did, and might have had some awareness of the gay meccas in Montreal, Toronto, and British… read more

I remember this moment when I was much younger, about eight or nine, at my grandma’s house. We were watching a movie with a woman singing in a bright blue dress made of tiny blue sequins. Her hair was brushed back, smooth like caramel, and I remember thinking that she was very pretty. A crowd… read more

“…THE FIRST FAN MAIL I HAD WAS ALMOST ALWAYS FROM PEOPLE WHO FELT VERY ISOLATED AND VERY UNKNOWN…AS THE YEARS WENT ON I MUCH MORE OFTEN GOT RATHER JOYFUL LETTERS SAYING THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU’VE DONE AND HOW MUCH EASIER YOU’VE MADE MY LIFE.” Author Jane Rule is best known for her… read more

Jane Rule is arguably the most significant lesbian writer of the twentieth century. If it were left to me as final arbiter, it would not even be arguable. Rule’s first novel, Desert of the Heart (Talonbooks: 1964), and its film Desert Hearts (1985), remain iconic in lesbian culture. Memory Board (Naiad Press: 1987) is easily the… read more